Highest Ever Level Of Security In Bengaluru For Republic Day

Bengaluru: Ahead of Republic Day, there's unprecedented security in Bengaluru. With the city on red alert like the rest of the county, the Bengaluru police says no drones will be allowed to fly over the skies on Republic Day, to be safe against terror strikes.

"I have issued a magisterial order banning the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles and connected drones in any form because we feel that can pose a threat in whatever manner, though we don't have any specific input on that," Bengaluru police chief NS Megharik said.

The police chief said there were no specific intelligence inputs warning of any particular threat, but that did not mean any let up of safety precautions.

"We feel there is no specific threat - but when there is no specific threat, that itself is a big threat. On the ground we have in readiness our Garuda elite striking force which is substitute to NSG and apart from that we have the routine anti-sabotage check, bomb disposal teams are there in place which we have taken from army also. Apart from that our own units are also there... This is the highest level of security we are observing in history so far," he said.

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Recently, the French Consulate in the city had received a 'threat' letter saying that French president Francois Hollande, who is chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, should not come to India. Six men were also taken into custody on Friday under suspicion of connection with terror organisations.

"Keeping the developments of the last 15 days in mind - arrest of people from Bengaluru, Tumakuru, Mangaluru and elsewhere in the country, we are in touch with the central agency and we have taken all precautions possible. On the ground roughly about 800 civil staff, 8 to 10 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police apart from Home Guards and units that we have in place. Whatever possible we have done," Mr Megharik said.

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